Today, they are merely a nostalgic mascot for many fire departments. Because of this, fire fighters began employing dalmatians to keep the horses from getting spooked on the way to fires, as well as to guard equipment. Dalmatians were known to form close bonds with horses and were fast enough to run alongside them for long distances. Here are some of the most common breeds known within the field:ĭalmation: In the late 19th Century, horse-drawn fire engines were the most common tool of the trade among fire fighters. ![]() Today, dogs have many jobs within the field of emergency services, including search & rescue, emergency management, patient care and criminal apprehension. If you happen to be in that neck of the woods and looking for a new companion, click here for more info!Dogs have been used in emergency services since the Middle Ages when law enforcement officers hunted down outlaws with bloodhounds, paid for by the villages they protected. PS – A friend of mine who works with a dog rescue group in Florida is desperately looking for a loving home for two dogs. Keep an eye out for her on jobs – unlike the full-of-excitement temperaments of most dalmatian, she’s a bit lazy, but very friendly!Īnd with that, Twenty headed back into the firehouse to get back to sleep… Today, Twenty mainly serves Ladder 20 as a friendly companion, and can be seen hanging her head out the window of the firetruck as it zips through traffic. Dalmatians, known to have an unusually good rapport with horses, would guard the animals from other dogs on the trip to the fire, then protect them from thieves as firemen worked to put out the blaze, which often required hours of arduous work. The company lost seven men in the tragedy, along with seven men from Squad 18 which was temporarily housed in their building.Īccording to legend, the Dalmatian became associated with firefighting in the days when fires were fought with water pumps on horse-drawn carriages. Now 10 years old, Twenty was donated to Ladder 20 to offer comfort after 9/11. Ha, well, here she is! This sleepy dog is Twenty, Ladder 20’s firedog: …Then went back to squinting into the sun. …Then glanced at me like, “seriously, you woke me up for this?”… ![]() She came to the sidewalk and stopped, squinting into the sun… “Hang on,” he said, “Let me see if I can wake her up.”Ī minute later, the firehouse garage door opened…Īnd then, looking incredibly sleepy and very annoyed at having been woken up, a tired dalmatian shuffled out! I told him about seeing the truck, and asked him if they had a dalmatian. I knocked on the door, and a fireman opened it. Seriously? I’ve always assumed the firehouse dalmatian was the sort of thing you only find in Norman Rockwell paintings and old movies, certainly not at a modern NYC fire company.īut does Ladder 20 indeed have its own dalmatian? The other day, I took a walk to the firehouse, which happens to be around the corner from our office… But, just as it turned onto Broadway, something caught my eye: was that a dalmatian hanging its head out the window? I was driving down Houston the other day when a firetruck raced by, sirens blazing… ![]() I've said goodbye to NYC, but that doesn't mean the fun has to end! Follow all my latest scouting posts from the West Coast at: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok.
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